A cruise ship due to visit Bermuda in two weeks’ time has twice been hit by stomach bug outbreaks.

Nearly 100 passengers on the Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas suffered from gastrointestinal sickness on a seven-day cruise to the Bahamas that left the ship’s home port of Baltimore on Saturday, April 5.

Symptoms included vomiting and diarrhoea, according to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

A spokesman for Royal Caribbean said the disease was thought to be caused by norovirus and that passengers “affected by the short-lived illness responded well to over-the-counter medication administered on board the ship.”

An earlier cruise to the Bahamas, which left Baltimore on March 28, also saw an outbreak of illness, which hit more than 100 passengers and fewer than a dozen crew members.

The CDC said the earlier outbreak had been caused by norovirus.

Neither cruise was cut short due to the illnesses.

Royal Caribbean said it had “high health standards” on board its ships and had taken steps to increase sanitation after the outbreaks of illness.

The company said: “During the sailing, we took a number of steps to prevent the transmission of the illness, including implementing enhanced cleaning procedures and protocols, and using special cleaning products and disinfectants that are proven to kill norovirus to clean throughout the ship.”

It is expected that the ship and its terminal will undergo a deep clean before the ship, which is due to makes its first visit to Bermuda on April 26, sets sail again.

In addition two CDC environmental health officers and an epidemiologist will visit the ship as part of an ongoing investigation. The CDC is also collecting specimens from the second outbreak to help determine the cause.

Norovirus is highly contagious and one of the most common causes of food-borne illnesses.

It can be transmitted through food or water or by touching contaminated surfaces.

The cruise ships carries around 2000 passengers and 800 crew.

The ship returned to Baltimore last year after undergoing a $48 million refit.

It suffered a major fire last May, which put it in dry dock for six weeks while repairs were made.